Let the wind blow
by haithuong
Summary: Untold stories behind the legend. Why call it Legend of Zelda when Link was in fact the hero? There are things that we've always known, but didn't mind to find out why.
1. Prologue

After his journey to search for Navi, Link has changed his point of view of the world. The first time when he saw the moon which was about to fall down to Clock Town, he was very bewildered and realized that in this world, magic happens so frequently that people could not tell differences between it and the devious one. Link was just like other happy residents of that accursed town, completely oblivious to the fate of his own and any others. There were really bizarre things happening, but Link has never once questioned it – for his world has always been so clear and simple as lines on a sheet. Among thousands and thousands of swordsmen that were far more powerful and courageous than him, why was he the one to receive the Triforce of Courage? Why did Ganondorf want to take over Hyrule so badly even though he had had all the power and fortunes of this world to himself? Why did Zelda choose him to be the one she entrusted with all her hope and faith and not some Sage or loyal servants?

And the most recent of all, when Link carelessly felt down from the edge of mountain into a ravine, someone had saved him and carefully put him on a rock in the nearby cave. In the faint rays of light that was bend through the thick cover of waterfalls, Link saw a ghostly shade of red shaped a shadowed figure. The figure had had been staring at him for a while now. He guessed that it must have been the one that saved him. Even though his head still hurts and Navi was constantly asking him an abundance of things which he can't even answer, Link still recognized who the shadowed figure in the dim light is. Rather, he could not not to recognize who it was, as he was the one whom he had to duel to defense for the last of his dignity on the edge of death and defeat from time and time again. And this wasn't the first time his eyes had caught that gaze, that unfathomable, troubled gaze that had been staring at him. He could never look right back at it, for it was too somber and filled with anguished.

Link has never asked.

Ganondorf, why did you cry?

_[Ever since a long time before, Zelda has often had weird dreams.] _

Zelda swung the sword. Even though by her calculations, with this speed and angle the tree in front of her should have been cut into half; but it only got a slight scratch and it still stood there as if mocking her. Zelda panted, swiping the sweat off her browns. Her servants might thought of this as something redundant, because she's a girl or because she was born to be a princess, not a carpenter. But there's still something that drives her, something that urges her to leave the library every Saturday's afternoon, change out of her gown and go to the backyard with her sword in hand. A year has passed since Zelda picked up this habit, but the tree she used to practice on still hasn't budged. Zelda has has everything fully seen to – she even invited the best sword master of Hyrule to teach her, but things didn't seem to turn for the better either. He said that her problem lies not in technique, but in physical strength. Zelda stare at her own hands, wondering whether this has anything to do with the Triforce of Wisdom at all.

_[But the weirdest dream of all, which is also the one that occured the most, is a dream about a land filled with a never ending chaotic war. Zelda stood among the battlefield, among the lingering corpses, neither afraid nor stirred. The sword in her hand was drenched in blood. All she could do was to dash ahead, like a killer, an instinct. And she search and search and search...] _

Suddenly, from a branch of a tree, a figure dashed forward as quickly as a squirrel. Acting on instinct, Zelda blocked the incoming blow; but the movement of the stranger's sword has quickly gotten out of her control. The maids scrambled and was about to scream for the guards, but Zelda has signaled them to stop. It was just one of her friends.

- You are playing Ganondorf today?

Link did not answer, only gave up a faint smile. He felt happy that Zelda has been handling the sword so well; in fact, he felt that they could even begin to take a one-on-one match by now. Zelda pulled a hooked swing, intended to use the centrifugal force to strike the sword out of Link's hand. But Link was no ordinary swordsman, for he had fought with things that normal people wouldn't know if they exist. So situations like these were merely a simple task to him. He skillfully created slight friction as they crossed sword, which made Zelda's sword poped out from her hand. It went just as planned. But Zelda hasn't given in, either. She stumbled backward, conveniently sweeping Link's legs. Loosing control of his foot, he felt upon Zelda's body, as soon as she began to burst out laughing.

Link slowly closed his eyes and kissed Zelda on her cheek. The princess of Hyrule raised her hands and held the upper person's firm back closer to her. The maid blushed bright red, whispering to one another then hurriedly backed away into the palace. There were also times when guards sneaked a peek at the two of them while pretending they were still strictly doing their job. Link and Zelda were like the precious lovebirds of the palace, people thought that the two of them were meant for each other and not for anything else. Link weaved his hand through Zelda's silky smooth hair, letting his fingers slide on the princess' luscious curves, pulling her garments to her bosom. He let himself sink into Zelda's arm, where all the sweet scent and aroma of flowers across the country lingered. He kissed Zelda one more time, because he missed so much the feeling of the warm embrace of the motherland. Zelda slide her fingers under the rough fabric of Link's garment, felt the smooth skin underneath and also the scars that had long since swelled. How she craved to snuggle up into Link's hair – full of sunlights of a different color than those in this backyard – the color of undiscovered lands. After every journey, what Link brought back is far more than gifts – he brought back the breaths of the most faraway, mysterious hidden places…

They drift apart only to come together again. They were friends that held each other dear.

- They probably think we are really strange, right Link? – Zelda laughed, the two of them lying next to each other, watching birds fly over the serene blue sky. – But I guess it's better to be friends than to be lovers, isn't it?

Link nodded slightly, looking so innocent that Zelda just wanted to kiss him a few more.

- There are things that I can never understand. – Zelda stared into her own hands – But… isn't it better that way? Is it better for life to have things that I can't understand?

Link knew what Zelda meant, even though she hadn't said a single thing. Ever since they were little, Link and Zelda had had a deep connection, for they were unlike any other kids, or any other Hylians. Zelda and Link were in a separated world, a world of their own, wondering why no one had ever realized the unanswered questions about this world.


	2. Chapter 1: Zelda

CHAP 1

When Zelda asked her parents about her name, the answer was: Your name was taken from the oldest Epic of Hyrule – the Legend of Zelda. In the old Hyrulian tongue, 'zel' meant green, added the 'da' to make it a feminine name. Zelda was the name – as the legends told – of the hero of Hyrule, the first one to have ever lifted the Master Sword off the ground and liberate the Hyrulian from the Gerudo's brutal domination.

Zelda stepped out into the hall where she and Link arranged to meet only to find many children had already gathered around the young swordsman. The children eagerly asked Link to let them touch his pointy green hat, his boomerang and the legendary Master Sword. Their questions for him were ceaseless: how Link had done his journeys, how he had kicked Ganondorf's butt… Zelda really wondered how in the world could Link answer all those questions without even opening his mouth. There was only one question that made Link stumble: How was the Master Sword created?

Zelda was there to save the day, even though she really liked the way Link hid his face into his green hat to avoid the questions; but she would preserve the hero of Hyrule's dignity in front of the young generation. Link also sat down to listen, looking as obedient as ever.

The story began when the land of Hyrule was still in the middle of a desert, under the sky and clouds. The Hyrulians were good at building and farming but they lacked defense, as naïve as their ancestors was before. It was not hard for the Gerudo to take over Hyrule, imprisoning the Hyrulians in deep dungeons after chaining their feet and cutting off their tongues. The Hyrulians had to escape to the most secluded corners of Hyrule, waiting for the right time to strike and take back their kingdom. 

That year, a girl was born on the Awakening of the Fairies. And thus began the legend of Hyrule. There was a rumor that the child was of royal blood. Because she was not taught of how to speak, the child was considered a mute and did not have her tongue cut off. The dungeons of the Gerudo lay under an empty well where leftovers were thrown down everyday and the Hyrulians had to fight with each other to get a share. The child grew up in such fights, next to piles of tattered bodies trying to claw their way out of the slippery well. And light. The shining light from top of the well had always been there to urge her to live on despite her rotten soul. The light that every Hyrulian has given up, the child still took in.

Until one day, the Gerudo decided to slaughter all of the Hyrulians. They thought it was the end of everything when the barbarians raided through the dark prison cells, where only the sound of crying and terrified screaming was left when death raged on evry corner. The child hid under the pile of dead bodies, until a Gerudo caught a piece of her blond hair. At that moment, she saw a sword fixed in a stone. The sword was nothing but ordinary, but it lay there without anyone wanting to pull it out. Maybe it was hidden by the darkness; maybe no one could ever lift it. On the sword's hilt was a faint shape of a golden triangle. At first the child clung onto the sword like a lifeline. But then the sword was pulled out from the stone in the child's desperation. The first swing of the sword was unbelievably smooth. In the second time, not just one but three Gerudos collapsed. From the back of the child's hand, a golden triangle appeared; the light from it then spread throughout until all the Hyrulians were turned into the same direction, to saw a child bearing their blood holding the sword and cutting off all the shackles below her feet.

- H-y-r-u-l-e. 

The child screamed the first word of her life. Then she quickly climbed up the well by piercing the sword into the stones. All of the Gerudos who came near her was cut off into two by the sword. The Hyrulians were standing up against the evil Gerudos, they destroyed the prison's gate and followed the brilliant light of the sword. They ran and ran, until they escaped from the lands of the Gerudo to unite with their fellow countrymen once more.

That legend was called the Legend of Zelda and the sword was named the Master Sword. There were also legends that told that the sword was called the blade of Evil's bane before, hidden underground by the Hyrulian's ancestors. Only the true hero, the chosen one could ever lift it. 

- But, princess Zelda, why do they call it the Legend of Zelda? The hero in the story didn't have a name.

Zelda smiled, knowing beforehand that there would be a question like this.

- That is an entirely different story – Zelda said thoughtfully – There was a small legend that told of a Gerudo gone into the woods and found our legendary hero. He named her Zelda, with 'zel' meaning green, added he 'da' to make it a feminine name.

The children all looked at her with a stunned look on their face. Zelda smiled awkwardly. What she had told was only a part of the Legend of Zelda; there were many more parts, many more tales and characters related to this legend. Maybe such a small share could not satisfy the children's curiosity. 

Zelda turned to Link. The story had ended but Link still sat there with a thoughtful look on his face his eyes staring into the far distance. Zelda thought that Link had a very strong imagination and the ability to recreate the story before his very eyes. Link indeed was seeing in front of him a deep forest where green rays of light danced upon the flowing streams. In all that green appeared a Gerudo with hair of red.

- 'Zel' means green, added the 'da' to make it a girl's name. Then, little forest girl, may I call you Zelda?


	3. Chapter 2: Ganondorf

Ganondorf could not stop cursing. Being the villain is a tiring job, especially when he didn't have the Triforce of Wisdom. And his henchmen were not that clever, either – so every scheme he had carefully planned out was all foiled by Zelda.

Zelda...

Every time he said that name, it took him a few seconds of bewilderment. Ganondorf was not baffled because he held some unusual feelings for Zelda. It was just that her name reminded him of the thing he had lost for so many years ago. The thing that he had sworn to never forgive God for having taken it from him.

The story began from legends he had heard since he was a kid. Ganondorf was the only male Gerudo to have been born within one hundred years, he was destined to be king and indulged in the affection of the tribe's women. One of his many privileges was to be able to lie in his sister's arm and listen to her stories. But the history of the Gerudo was not that long, a bit boring, even. The truth was nothing more than prolonging wars of invasion. The Gerudo did not have the tradition of growing their own crops or creating crafts. His people never really had a culture of their own nor a national identity, and they probably couldn't even call themselves a nation.

But Ganondorf was enchanted by an old Hyrulian legend – the legend of the Hero with the Master Sword that had liberated her people from the prison's dark cells. Even though it was not pretty for the Gerudo to have lost half of their valuable source of slaves; but Ganondorf felt grateful for the gods to have created that Hero. Someone he had never met, but gave him the idea of a "nation". How Ganondorf longed for a nation of his own. A nation that can rise above all and voice their sound despite centuries of being buried and forgotten.

But now it was not a matter of concern to the Gerudo tribe. The Hyrulian, after their liberation, in over ten years had forged their weapons and honed their magic to take back the land that was once theirs from the Gerudo's hands. The kind, gentle Hyrulian, having been tainted by the cruelness of imprisonment, had now came back to seek revenge. But it was said that not all Hyrulians were like this. Those who came back for vengeance formed a new tribe called Sheikah while those who wished to live in peace still kept the old traditional Hyrulian lifestyle: building and farming.

Originally from Hyrule, the Sheikah not only knew how to use magic but also possessed a gifted mind as well. Even though the Gerudo had great physical abilities, too much of their strength was spent on mindless killing and slaughtering. In the late spring that year, the Sheikah built a dam to block the water from reaching the Gerudo's stronghold. Always passively relying on nature, the Gerudo did not bother to dig wells or preserve rainwater for the dry season. While the Gerudo were struck with plague and famine, the Sheikah took their chance and ignited the flame of war. It was not hard to figure out who was defeated.

The sixteen – year – old Ganondorf that year fled off the stronghold on his saddle, carrying with him the last ray of hope for the Gerudo to one day revive their nation once more. To do so, he must seek the Triforce – a magical legendary relic that can grant the person who found it with whatever they desire.

But was it necessary, he wondered, to revive a nation that was not really a nation in the first place?

Ganondorf stopped his cursing when he realized where he was. After a while of cussing around his useless subordinates, he now realized that this was where he had met "the hero". The hero in his dream with her sword pointed skyward, destroying all the shackles below. The one that had never told him a word, yet promised him of a legend that he could live in, word by word.

- 'Zel' means green, added the 'da' to make it a girl's name. Then, little forest girl, may I call you Zelda?

The sixteen – year – old Ganondorf shyly said to the young Hyrulian girl bathing in the streams. With the presence of the Master Sword, he had suspected that this could be his hero – with a sense of sheer surprise. The Hyrulian people were small, but his hero was even smaller. He replaced the shadow of the hero in his mind with her image that he took in. He had saw her drawn the sword from the stone, bathed in the blood of those fallen under it, dashing forward like a beacon in the dark…

She simply tilted her head and smile in agreement. Now she is Legendary Zelda of his own.


End file.
